My Life Before Naked Eye Studio

I always find it interesting to get insight to other artists/designers/illustrators and their life. I get inspired learning how they create a business or support themselves with their art.

I love seeing them push themselves to reach their creative goals.

I also love seeing their history and how they came to be.

In the effort of sharing I want to talk a bit about Naked Eye Studio’s story. Here’s a little bit of how it came to be. I’ve already shared a post with the Get to Know Me Tag – but I thought it would be fun to dig a little deeper.

COLLEGE YEARS

Art has always been in my blood. I’ve spent years drawing, doodling, and imagining.

I went to college not knowing what direction my future would take. I knew I loved art and had limited exposure to it in my small town experiences.

At a big University I got to try all sorts of mediums! I took drawing classes, oil painting, printmaking, graphic design, etc. It was so much fun.

The good thing about all that time was I got years of experience and practice in many forms of art, with an underlining theme of adapting techniques, visual learning, and expressive solutions.

It seemed like the perfect choice for me. I continued to fine tune my craft, and grow my artisitc and creative experiences.

However the classes I never took any of? Business! Naked Eye Studio wasn’t even a thought in my mind. I had no concept of creative businesses, how to make money at art, or how to transition my art into a career.

I continued to paint and draw, without much thought to my post college years.

POST COLLEGE YEARS

For the rest of my 20s, my art was very traditional and very few and far between. Because I couldn’t make any money with my art after college, I got myself an office job and tried to create on my off time.

I stuck with paintings, as I really wanted to cultivate that skill further. I had a few gallery showings here and there but no big contracts, no big sales, and no big collaborations.

It didn’t help that I was a huge introvert and didn’t spend any time collaborating with other artists and getting to know my local art community either.

I didn’t bother telling anyone who I was – so it was no surprise that nobody knew who I was!

Art become mostly a hobby, and that was fine with me. I was enjoying my corporate job and doing my best to advance in the industry. I experimented with printmaking, original paintings, and design work.

I continued to paint on the weekends. I still continued to find my favorite art mediums and styles, and experimented with many different subject matters and styles.

THE BIG PUSH

After years of casually pursuing art as a hobby, I had resigned myself to never really making money at it. It delegated it as a hobby and nothing more.

I struggled with this concept for many years. I had my full time job – I even like my full time job! But art was in my soul! I spent so long on it, was I really ready to give it up forever?

I spent a long time thinking of myself, my goals, and what I wanted for the future.

I finally decided I wanted more from my art. I still wanted the chance to do something great. To share my passion with more than just me!

The love of art was still there and still strong. Even if I never made any money from it, I still enjoyed it and didn’t want to see that part of my identify lost.

I decided on one last push for making a business out of my art. I created my moniker – Naked Eye Studio. I built a website and started producing more work.

NOW

Now, Naked Eye Studio is my business and my baby. It’s still a side gig, and I still have that full time job I enjoy. But my nights and weekends belong to MY business.

I devote all my free time towards my brand. My thoughts are often centered around brainstorming new business ideas. All my free money goes into my business.

I love every second of it. I’m so glad I decided to try one more time to get a creative business going. It’s renewed my passion and given me more drive and ambition in life.

Most importantly, it’s allowed me to connect with people. My favorite part has been finding friends that like the same stuff as me. When I post a picture on Instagram, or a video on YouTube, and someone reaches out to me to tell me their thoughts? That makes my day!

I feel like I have a community now. Friends that support my work and share my excitement.

THE FUTURE

I have big dreams for Naked Eye Studio. I am going to continue to create artwork – paintings, stickers, shirts, and more. I want more cool stuff that I think people will enjoy. Patches, bags, posters, and more.

I have plans on growing my social media accounts too. I would love to have more friends on Instagram and YouTube. I love reading people’s thoughts when I post stuff on there.

Eventually I would love to have a studio and be able to devote all my time to this business. As much as I enjoy my job I want to be able to devote more time to Naked Eye Studio.

I want to be able to put a full 8 hours a day in at the studio. To create content, find business opportunities, and fulfill customer orders! That would be the best!

I don’t know what the future has in store for Naked Eye Studio. But I know I’m going to give it all I got.

So that’s the story of Naked Eye Studio. Stick around and join me on the journey! Sign up for my newsletter and find out when new exciting things happen. And leave me a comment letting me know what journey you’re on at this moment! We can celebrate each other!